The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-01-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From an Occasional Correspondent |

| WAsHINGToN, d. c., Jan. IL, ~.
There are ten books in the secret ar
chives of the United States patent Of
| flee for which patent attorneys in
| Washington would be willing to give
100000, They are the books contain
ing the names and addresses of inven-
tors whose cases have been rejected
during the past ten years. There has
been an average of $4,000 cases filed in
the patent Office every year for the
last ten years and yearly average OF
900 patents granted. Last year there
were 80. 900 applications filled and a.
900 patents issued, the largest number
in any one year. On this showing
something like 60 per cent OF the appli-
cations have been patented. So there
have been during the last ten years
about 100000 rejected cases. These in
part include cases defeated in interfer-
ences and applications allowed, but on
which final fees have not been paid.
Now good attorneys get fully 80 per
cent of their cases allowed and patent
ed hence there must be some reason
for only 60 per cent of the applications
being allowed. The reason is this !:
Fully 5000 inventors every year make
out their own cases and try to get them
through the patent office. Not know
ing the routine they almost invariably
get involved in the meshes of red tape
and the intricacies OF patent Office pro-
cedure. The difficulty may be slight, a
mere informality, defective drawing,
an improperly wOrded application, an
indefinite Specification, or slight in
reference requiring lew amendments
which skilliul patent attorney could
make in half an hour. But to the in
ventor these prove an insurmouniable
obstacle; his application is rejected and
ne gives up in disgust or despair.
Applications for patents in the United
States patent Office go first to the TWEEN
ty-eight principal examiners, according
to the subject matter. / they are re-
jected two years are allowed in which
to amend them or take other necessary
action. If no action shall have been
taken at the end of two years, such
cases are treated as abandoned, and are
sent to the division where they are en-.
tered in the books which the patent at
torneys so much covet. Fully $4,000
of the rejected cases of the last ten years
fall under these conditions. At low
estimate $4,000 Of these rejected cases.
put in the hands of competent attor-
ney, could be patented. A patent at
fees on such conditional cases
would be about $25 per casa gross
sum of $685. 900 Count out Disguised
inventors and those not able to pay,
still an enormous number would get out
patents ii they knew how. But the
trouble is just here-no one outside the
patent office is allowed access to those |
Tile books; and without them Chey can
not learn the name and address of in
Ventors. Then again, there are some |
5000 cases now lying in the examiners
rooms awaiting the two years limit.
These are still more valuable, for il they
ire taken up before the time-limit ex-
,ires the initial fees do not lapse, while
n the other cases they would have to
,e repaid.
The practice in the United States
'atent office was not always thus. Dur
ng Grants first term, for period of Z